The Lost Souls
by xxAristotlexxx
Summary: After the Siege of Orgrimmar, an un-easy peace had settled between the Horde and the Alliance. When a group of five people finally meet with their intertwined fates, what will come of their actions? Is it possible for the Horde and the Alliance to actually work together or are their still old scars which shouldn't be re-opened. (The story will be filled with OCs from Argent Dawn)
1. Chapter 1 - On a cold winter's Night

The Lost Souls

Chapter 1 – On a cold winter's night…

It was a cold winter's night in the Hinterlands. The wind was biting at the fur of the Dwarves as they trudged hardily along the road towards Aerie's Peak. It had been another patrol along the road and another boring evening for the Dwarves and all that they wanted now was to get back to the Peak, climb into their bunks with a good mug of mead, or a cask, and drift off into a drunken sleep.

The recent end of the Siege of Orgrimmar had brought the Alliance and the Horde to a reluctant peace, but most knew wiser then it to stay at such a peace and most wartime procedures were kept up including regular patrols and the rationing of supplies. In the Hinterlands, it was no different. Both the local Trolls and the Wildhammer Dwarves had kept up usual patrols but with orders to not engage with the other side unless provoked. Needless to say, both sides were waiting for the other to bite so they could lash out in an absurd and un-needed way. However, it was approaching the time of Winterveil and many of the Dwarven soldiers wanted nothing more than to stay in their keeps and bunker down until the winter had passed and their hangovers had stopped.

One of the soldiers sneezed, earning a 'Light bless you' from all four of his companions. "Oh, thanks lads. Now that's what I need. A bloodie cough to take me down after the ruddy shamblers."

In response, there was a small chuckle from a few of the members and even a light hearted laugh. Of course, the shamblers were referring to the remnants of the undead that still dwelled in the nearby Plaguelands. Admittedly, the Argent Crusade had done a good job of clearing the Plaguelands out and had even managed to drive the Scarlet Crusaders from their last bastion – south of Acherus Hold.

As they chuckled in their moment of mirth, the wind picked up again and whipped them all around the behinds as if giving them a better reason to increase their pace yet they knew better. To get home quick was to rush and to rush was to miss things and the commander would have their hides, and their beer, should something happen on their route.

It was then that the feeling touched the air… an un-natural feeling of being frozen to the bone. Like the feeling of cold steel yet it was touching their very bones and the Dwarves stopped, shuddering in their boots then they saw it or rather… heard it.

The sound of a heavy boot hitting dirt was coming from behind them, easily piercing through the sound which was the wind's howls. The Dwarves all turned to see a figure approaching them, clearly hooded and cloaked with the linen cloak wrapped firmly around the newcomer's body and the hood pulled low over their face with the slightest hint of a sword handle wrapped in cloth over his shoulder . As if as one, all the Dwarves turned their gazes to the newcomer's feet and saw a dark metal covering them with a dull blue glow emitting from an odd rune. The Dwarves turned their gazes back to the cloaked figure to find him standing inches from the one at the rear.

"Ho there, friend! You give me your name and I'll give ya mine!" The Dwarf said, staring up and under the hood of the figure who seemed to resonate with a dull… freezing sensation. Two blue eyes look down at the Dwarf and bore into his eyes, causing the sensation of bones that feel like cold steel to intensify and the Dwarf shudders as the figure responds in a ghastly voice "I am Solvanó Dusktreader and yourself?"

"I'm Winbly Bimblebeard of the Wildhammer Dwarves! Pray tell us, lad. What're you doing on such a road at this time of the night?" Winbly adjusted his beard slightly and continued to peer into Solvanó's eyes before he was graced with a response from that voice which sounded like a howl of the departed.

"I am travelling," Solvanó's replied, raising a gauntleted hand and moving a piece of midnight coloured hair out of his eye. The colour of the metal was the same as his boots, with a similar rune emblazoned on the palm of the gauntlet.

"Well there lad, these parts are dangerous. Travel with us to Aerie's Peak, aye?" Winbly asked, carefully exchanging his weight from foot to foot quietly praying that this Solvanó hated alcohol.

"Hmm… I shall." Solvanó responded, offering a nod to Winbly and the group immediately turned on their toes and continued on their way through the blizzard. The feeling of their bones being as cold as steel didn't leave them and mutters were exchanged about getting a big flask of Sulfuran Slammer in them before they went to bed.

Aerie's Peak was a sight to behold for any not accustomed to the sight it held. A massive Dwarvern fortress carved into a mountain complete with Gryphon aviary and stables. A few buildings were outside the main complex but they were mostly used as sentry posts to guard the road coming from the south-west and the road leading east to the Quel'danil lodge. The massive carved figure of the gryphon head stares towards the east and the Dwarves felt an odd feeling of warmth in their hearts as they approached the entrance to the main fort, complete with Winter's Veil decorations. Winbly had taken up position at the back next to Solvanó and, it must be said, he seemed interested in the figure. However, Solvanó was about as much interested in Aerie's Peak as he was interested in the amount of mugs of ale Winbly had downed in a single evening (Record still holding at fifty before a cute Dwarf lass took pity on him). The group entered the main building and were greeted by a tall Dwarf with a thick, long, bushy beard and a crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"Welcome back lads, 'ow was the patr'l?" The Dwarf asked, nodding at each of the patrol members before raising his eyes and staring at the cloaked figure and offering him a small nod, which Solvanó returned with a small bow along with the audible cracking of joints in his armour.

"Uneventful, sah! The Trolls 'ave been mighty quiet after the siege of Orgrimmar. Probably 'cause we 'ould kick their arses if they tried anything!" Replied the Dwarf at the head, who had a blonde beard and a pair of keen blue eyes.

"Haha, fair 'nough lad! But who's the stranger?" The Dwarf asked, turning his gaze back to Solvanó and eyeing him up and down.

"This, sah, is Solvanó Dusktreader, sah. Says he's 'travelling' and we offered to bring 'im here for a bit of 'xtra protection," Winbly replied, a thick Dwarvish accent claiming him as he spoke – possibly aroused by the sudden and blissful smell of fresh beer.

The Dwarf walked up to Solvanó, eyeing him up and down before he fixed his eyes on the two, ice blue orbs beneath the hood. "You one of them 'igh and mighty High Elves, boy?" The Dwarf asked, not aggressively but certainly not In a friendly way.

Solvanó eyed the Dwarf for a few moments before he responded in his ghostly voice, pulling back his hood to reveal his features. Two ice blue eyes were revealed along with… well… there was no other way to put it… handsome features. His face looked like it had been carved by a master craftsman, everything so orientated and aligned so that it was in perfect correspondence with the adjacent feature and even his long, midnight blue hair cascaded over and around his face like water gracefully falling from a waterfall. "I… could be classed as a High Elf, yes,"

There were a few mutters amongst the Dwarves as the hood fell back behind Solvanó's head, revealing his features but also revealing to top of what appeared to be dark blue armour with only a slither visible with the rest covered by the cloak. "Tha' looks like Saronite, ain't that the armour which drives people co-co?" One of the Dwarves whispered to another but they were all quickly silenced as a particularly strong blast of cold air came in through the doorway behind them and silenced their whispers.

"Alright lad, ya can stay here but you'll need to tell some of these ladies a story before they go off to sleep. Call it tradition but a traveller should have good stories to tell, aye?" The commander said, looking at Solvanó for a response which came in the form of a small nod.

It was a few moments before they were all gathered around the fireplace in the main room, a mug of stiff mead in one hand and a piece of roast in another. Except Solvanó, He had refused all food and drink with a polite wave of his hand and a mutter that he would get indigestion from eating at this point. They had all settled and were cosily reminiscing about the chill of the outside and their gratefulness for mead before Winbly spoke up, "So, Solvanó, a tale would be nice at a moment like this!"

The Dwarves all grumbled in agreement, a few others who had not been with the group all agreed with the statement. It was sacred tradition that a traveller must share a tale, good or bad.

Solvanó looked over at Winbly, standing up and stretching. The sound of his armour creaking… or was it his bones… caused shudders to run down all of their spines but Solvanó glanced around the room at each of the Dwarves before drawing out his wrapped blade from a scabbard underneath his cloak. The blade was large, easily the size of the commander and more however wrapped in the cloth that it was they could barely see the glowing runes on the blade. Some of the Dwarves shudder again, the blade made no sound but it seemed to scream as it was drawn from the scabbard. Solvanó held the blade firmly in hand before… he set it down before him on the stone hearth in front of the fire.

"It was a… winter's night. A while ago…"

'**A few nights ago…'**

Solvanó held his blade aloft, facing the armoured Kaldorei with killing intent radiating from his eyes. "Stand down, Kaldorei! I seek to travel, not to slay your worthless hide!" Solvanó stated, separating a hand from his blade and pulling his horned helm from his belt and fixing it onto his head with the runes on his armour glowing dangerously.

"Oh really… CORPSE! Your kind wants nothing more than to slay all the living and I shall stop your murderous rampage before more innocent come to harm!" The Kaldorei screamed, his own armour gleaming in the light from the now blazing runes. The sword and shield the Kaldorei held seemed weak and pathetic but so did all arms carried by the other races. The Kaldorei charged, and the Kaldorei lunged towards Solvanó, aiming for his hip and one of the glowing runes however it was met by the blade.

The screech of metal on metal pierced through the silence of the Highlands like a crossbow bolt through flesh even as Solvanó used his blade to parry and knock the Night Elf's sword flying from his hand, he aimed a quick shoulder barge for the Night Elf's chest. The Kaldorei blocked it pathetically with his shield, the cracking of bones in his arm piercing the silence yet again along with a scream of pain as Solvanó brought his blade around again and sliced open the Kaldorei's throat with the tip of the blade. The blood splattered out across Solvanó's arm and drenched the floor in purple blood.

Solvanó backed away, pulling his cloak back around himself before staring down at the pathetic figure of the Kaldorei writhing on the floor for a few moments before he became still with a look of realization and shock now painted on his face for eternity. "You fought well for a weakling, but you should have realised one thing, Kaldorei…" Solvanó turned away from the scene, continuing down the road and he was soon claimed by the blizzard and lost to sight as his voice was carried back on the wind. "… You can't kill something that's already dead."

Later that night, the entire Highlands – from the Orcish stronghold to Stromgarde Keep… The Highlands heard the scream and sobbing of some creature. It sounded graceful yet sad. And it was quickly silenced by a feeling of vengeance.

'**The present…'**

The room was silent in anticipation as Solvano finished his story and un-wrapped his blade from the cloth, revealing the runes. "Some of the brighter amongst you may have guessed that I am a Death Knight, and you would be correct. However I don't wish to bring harm to you or any of your fellows, and I shall not dampen this chilly evening with my presence. Good evening."

As Solvanó stood and moved towards the door, a voice came from behind him, "Hold up there, lad," It was Winbly, with his mug still in one hand and a trickle of mead running down his beard. "We Dwarves may not be the finest of folk, but we are the stoutest and you seem like a decent enough lad to give that Night Elf the chance to surrender. Most people these days wouldn't have even given 'im the benefit of the doubt. Where are ya heading?"

"To Gilneas, the long way."


	2. Chapter 2 - The hunt begins

The Lost Souls

Chapter 2 – … the hunt begins

The lone figure battled on through the snow covered forest, with a hood and cloak pulled tightly around their body. Alongside the figure skulked a larger shadow on all fours with great canines that looked like they could rip a man in two or slay an elk in one swift movement. The shadow's fur was pitch black with a few white stripes running through the hide like streaks of white paint tainting a piece of black parchment.

The figure waved at the shadow and the wind picked up and caught the cloak, blowing it up far enough to reveal a longbow and a quiver concealed beneath alongside light blue skin and very thick woollen armour but they were all quickly concealed again as the figure quickly lowered their hand and pushed the cloak down again before shivering visibly.

The sounds of voices nearby caused the two figures to stop in their tracks, immediately crouching low as the voices came closer and closer. Both of the voices were speaking common.

"I still say that you are a worse shot I mean; sure you have battlefield experience but cooommmeeee on! I'm a Ranger of Quel'thalas, you cannot beat that with your 'Grrr I'm an orc, grrrr' attitude," The first voice sounded something like a Sin'dorei, which immediately makes a person sound full of themselves and one of the boasting kind except this person had an extra hint of… could it be? Playfulness or a certain friendly touch to his voice which lessened the 'Sin'dorei affect'.

"Hmph, you Blood Elves - always caring about the training behind the soldier. When it comes down to it, all you need is a strong heart and a good arm to act well," The second voice was gruffer, and had a certain un-certainty to it when it came to speaking the long words. The voice was most likely coming from the Orc, that the Sin'dorei mentioned, and this was confirmed as the two bickering figures came into view just in front of the duo, with a dark red lynx and a large bear skulking close behind them. Both of them were dressed in thick furs, yet the Sin'dorei had his hood pulled down and was counting the amount of arrows he had in his quiver whilst the Orc had a large elk slung over his back. "By Hellscream's bones, you have twenty," but the Orc broke off as he spotted the two figures crouched low between the trees, almost invisible yet to a keen eye they may as well have painted themselves bright yellow.

The Sin'dorei turned to look where the Orc was now staring and spotted the two figures crouched low and raised his hand to... offer a friendly wave. "Well met there! Yes… you in the shadows!"

The two rose from their crouching positions, striding calmly towards the Blood Elf and Orc and easily stood taller than the Orc and yet the Sin'dorei may have just been on eye level. "Greetings Orc and child of the blood," The voice had the texture that was of silk, yet tainted by something that neither of the other two could pick up on and so they just shrugged it off before the Orc replied.

"Greetings there… Night Elf," The Orc stopped, unsure of how to continue before the Sin'dorei quickly cut in, picking up on the lack of speech that his companion may have been unsure of how to talk to someone whose race they had both been at war with for years now.

"It is an honour to have your grace amongst us, child of the night. Come to our camp with us, it is not far away and we just caught a good meal for us and our companions!" The Blood Elf offered the Kaldorei a wide smile, brushing a stray strand of pearly white hair out of his face and tucking it in with the rest of his hair which was apparently tied back in a ponytail.

The Kaldorei paused before shrugging lightly, glancing at the shadow beside her before turning her head back to the two and nodding at them. The Sin'dorei smiled whilst the Orc's expression remained neutral and they made their way through the trees back to their camp.

"Oh and by the way, I'm Riano Dawntreader of Farstrider Village, this lynx is called 'Dusk'. This is my friend, Okarmet Ribcracker of Durotar, with his companion the bear called 'Splitter'. And yourself?" The Sin'dorei asked, his voice taking on the usual 'I'm better then you' tone of all Sin'dorei yet with an honest air of '…until you prove me wrong'.

"I am Silk Leafshadow of Ashenvale, and this is Lunar the Nightsaber."

The animals of the group plodded behind their humanoid friends, conversing amongst themselves in the dialect of animals and it wasn't long before they were all huddled close together as they walked behind the three in front who seemed to only get further apart until they neared a small clearing with a small circle of stones in the centre and a few pieces of wood within them.

It took a few moments for them all to settle around the fire, the elk to get skinned and a few pieces of prime meat to be pierced on a stick and hung over the fire by Okarmet whilst the rest of the carcass was left to the saber, lynx and bear; needless to say it didn't last long.

"So… Silk. What are you doing out in the Hinterlands?" Riano asked, looking over to Silk. She had discarded her cloak the moment the fire had been lit and her body was revealed in all its glory. Or rather, what they saw. Silk's hair flowed down her shoulders the moment the hood was removed revealing it to be a silvery colour and appearing to be as fine as silk. Her armour covered most of her body, and appeared to be a dull blue colour similar to the armour of the Quel'dorei yet it seemed to blend perfectly with her skin; so much so that Riano believed for the first few moments that she was nude until he spotted the stitching. Silk also had a longbow in a sheath, unstrung, on her back alongside a quiver full of arrows.

Silk remained quiet for a few moments, her face suddenly filled with a mixture of emotions ranging from anger to pain, from sadness to happiness before she answered. "I'm hunting a murderer who killed my brother."

Riano's expression went from one of curiosity to sympathy in a matter of seconds whilst Okarmet's face remained impartial. "I'm… sorry. Do you know who it was?"

"No. But I have been tracking it through the Highlands and the Hinterlands for a few days now. Whatever it is, it doesn't need to rest, eat or drink and has gotten quite the lead on me," Silk replied, her words invoking a sense of truth in those who heard. Even the gruff Okarmet glanced over at Silk before looking back to the fire and pondering her words. Silk continued after a few moments, looking between the two, "I know that… it is a little early to be asking for favours but have you two seen any suspicious looking figures passing by recently?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary except," Riano began but Okarmet quickly cut in, glancing over at Riano with a degrading look.

"Except that fellow who went to Aerie's Peak with the Dwarves,"

Silk's head snapped up at the mention of a stranger, a possible lead. "Who, what, when?" Her voice was frantic and rushed, clearly revealing a sense of desperation.

Okarmet's expression turned to one of bemusement but he continued, "Cold fellow. Wandered onto the road somewhere along the line and ran into a Dwarf patrol about a day ago. Dwarves took him back to Aerie's Peak but there was something… off about him. Like your bones feel as cold as steel just by being around him and I could have sworn he saw me,"

However, before Silk could ask Riano cut in with a triumphant expression on his face, "Haha! He didn't see me and yet ol' master Orc with his combat experience and wise words couldn't evade the eyes of a chilly traveller! Ha. Ha. HA! My friend, ha, ha ha!"

Okarmet was about to reply before Silk quickly cut in, staring into the fire.

"A Death Knight… it matches the feeling that people have described when encountering one. 'Stare long enough into a Death Knight's eyes and your bones will feel like cold steel' and it also matches a Death Knight's deceased condition removes the boon of having to eat, sleep or drink,"

"But… surely steel is already cold? Why need to add in the extra cold in the description?" Riano asked, glancing between the two and earning a mental slap on the head by Okarmet.

"Their trying to make it sound colder than normal steel, idiot. But, if what you say is true then you have a harder hunt on your hands then you first thought and, by my honour as a hunter and as a fellow hunter, makes us obliged to help your hunt,"

"Yea! Wait, what do you mean by 'us'?"

_**The blizzard beat against the mountains that border the region of the Hinterlands and the Plaguelands, acting like a barrier against the corruption that still lingered in the darkest reaches of the Plaguelands – which even the most foolhardy of adventures didn't dare tread. On top of one of the peaks, a dull blue glow could be seen for miles around if a traveller were to stare at the mountain long enough and keep their eyes trained on the spot. It had been there for as long as the Ebon Hold had appeared and been a constant reminder to all of the surrounding Plaguelands that the damned are here. We'll always be here. **_


	3. Chapter 3 - The Lament

The Lost Souls

Chapter 3 – The Lament

It was another chilly day on the road, trekking through the undergrowth and Winbly had slowly gotten used to the bone numbing feeling of being around the Death Knight and he had plenty of time to do it. After all, they had been walking non-stop for the past day and had only just broken onto the road after a day spent going around corners and following a river down from the Western Plaguelands into the Hillsbrad Foothills and they were now on the opposite side of the river to Tarren Mill.

Admittedly, the path had been very close to Aerie's Peak and marked on the maps in the stronghold itself but how was Winbly meant to know about it? They had passed very close to Scholomance and Solvanó had even pointed out the island as they passed by the bridge that could have taken them straight into it.

Travelling with a Death Knight, it turned out, meant a few things. Firstly, when they say 'the long way' they really mean 'the quickest path yet it could cause problems'. Secondly, it appeared that 'resting' was not their vocabulary list alongside 'eating', 'drinking' and 'beer rest'. And thirdly, but certainly not the last, Death Knights appeared to avoid conversation or, at least, Solvanó did. Winbly's quiet, chilly companion trudged on without speaking a word to the Dwarf unless Winbly sparked a conversation; which didn't last long.

"Hmph… I'll let you rest here, Tarren Mill is just over there and I would rather avoid passing through it if it's possible," Solvanó spoke in his usual tone, raising an arm and pointing over the river before slowly taking a seat on the snow covered grass.

Winbly didn't waste the opportunity and he fell backwards onto the snow, admittedly enjoying the sensation of the snow creeping into his cloak and massaging his numb legs and realised he'd soon drift off into a sleep he quickly asked, darkness already embracing his vision, "Oi, Soul… how are we crossing tha' river,"

"We walk across it." He replied, glancing over his shoulder and spotting Winbly's eyes closed and his beard nestled around his head like a makeshift pillow. It could be perceived as something of a 'cute' image but Solvanó simply turned his gaze back to the river and idly running a finger down the length of his linen covered blade. "… He sleeps… and we give the hunters a chance to catch up."

Solvanó chuckled under his breath, the sound sounding more a kin to the wind of blizzard then a sound of mirth before returning his gaze back to the river with its surface still trying to withstand the chilly temperature but slowly relenting and the surface slowly giving clues as to the future icy surface. But they couldn't wait.

_**Just up the river…**_

It had been a puzzle to solve but it turned out that bringing along the bickering duo had paid off. The trio of pursuers had managed to reach Aerie's Peak and discovered that their quary had a small lead on them and now had something slowing him down. The Dwarves had exchanged the information about the Death Knight on the condition that their brother be brought back alive and unharmed, if they were to defeat the Death Knight.

They now made their way down the river, three hooded and cloaked figures followed by a lynx, bear and nightsaber and it turned out that the Blood Elf and Orc were bad company and seemed not the least bit swayed by the fact that Silk was a Night Elf. She had been involved in their conversations and even insisted on increasing their pace to catch up since the winding path may have slowed their quary down and it would be best to take advantage of that weakness.

They continued down the river with little conversation passing between them except the occasional general chit chat about marking the weaknesses in the armour and how to avoid being caught too close to the Death Knight. They came over a small hill, Silk in between the two before she flung herself back with her arms stretched out to take the Orc and Blood Elf with her.

The two didn't yell out and only let off a dull 'Mmph' sound as they hit the snowy floor and Silk looked between them with all their hoods thrown back. "They're just over this hill." She whispered to them both, quietly praying to Elune that her voice wouldn't be carried forward on the wind. The other two nodded and they all adjusted themselves on the snowy floor and crawled just up to the rise before peeking over and peering at the odd sight before them.

A figure was sat wearing a dark blue armour which glowed on the chest plate where small sapphires were encrusted into it and with a single, larger sapphire encrusted into the centre of the horned head piece with a long piece of wrapped cloth sitting on their legs and their hands resting easily on either side, this figure didn't move or make a single sound and their wasn't even a bloom of cold air being blown away from their mouth. All three seemed to mouth the same thing at once, with the air catching in their throats – 'The Death Knight'. They then turned their eyes on a smaller figure, prone on the snow covered grass wrapped in two cloaks with the edge of a buckler and hammer poking out from underneath them. This one, however, had a bloom of cold air rising from their mouth accompanied by a slowly rising and falling chest.

The three exchanged looks before Riano narrowed his eyes at the Death Knight and stared at the long, elegant ears stretching forth from holes on either side of the helmet. It was hard to see but this was also accompanied by a few loose strands of hair falling from beneath the helmet and onto the chest piece… "Okarmet… he's one of the fallen of Quel'thalas,"

Okarmet turned his eyes to peer at Riano around Silk, who was now looking at Riano through narrowed silver eyes, "One of your people, Riano?"

"Indeed… he was one of the ninety percent of the population who died in the invasion or was chased down by the Scourge afterwards. Is it right to kill someone who might have contributed to my survival?"

Silk moved a hand, grasping Riano's left sleeve and glaring at him, "He killed my brother in cold blood, and you agreed to this hunt! Don't tell me your abandoning the hunt on the possibility this abomination may have protected you from miles away!"

The wind whipped up, drowning her shouting and carrying it in the opposite direction before Okarmet gripped Silk's left arm with a muscular hand of his own, "Calm your breasts, Elf. Riano, are you alright?"

Riano stared back over at Okarmet with his twinkling emerald eyes and shrugged with his right shoulder, "I don't know… is it right too-," But he was cut off as the sound of a low rumbling noise from their companions caught their attention and they all turned to look forward to see a tall, elegant figure standing before them with a thin blade with its own glowing runes inches away from Silk's face.

"Sorry to… interrupt. But my companion is sleeping," The Death Knight stated in a voice which emitted a cold shiver with every syllable.

The three let go of one another, staring up at the figure and Silk caught the eyes of the abomination that had slayed her brother… and regretted the decision. Her entire skeleton felt like cold steel and her own mind felt like it was freezing, every sound seeming to be amplified. The howling of the wind now sounded like the howling of a banshee, the sound of the running water was now the sound of a crashing waterfall and her head felt like it would split in two. The pain was un-bearable as her brain tried to comprehend what her senses were telling her before her vision began to be surrounded by darkness and the last sound that she heard was Riano yells.

However, in reality Riano was actually nudging Silk as her head seemed to droop before she became limp and collapsed on the snowy floor. "Silk?"

Okarmet had also turned his eyes to that of the Death Knight and saw the cold blue orbs, peering through the slits of visor, and only felt the dull freezing sensation of his bones but managed to shrug it off. Riano had done the same and was now glancing between the Death Knight and Silk, "Umm… hi?"

"Bring your companion over to mine, huddle them together and we'll talk." The Death Knight replied, turning on his heels and making his way back through the snow to his prone companion. Riano and Okarmet exchanged glances before proceeding to stand up, and making their way over to the prone figure and dragging Silk over with them and dropping her next to the Dwarf, pushing her closer. Lunar, Dusk and Splitter followed close behind their respective 'masters' and whilst Dusk and Splitter stayed next to Riano and Okarmet, Lunar had lied down next to Silk's still limp figure.

The Death Knight now took up a position next to the river and the two still conscious hunters joined him, standing on his right hand side and staring curiously at him. The Knight raised his blade for a moment before slotting it into a scabbard that was slung over his shoulder before proceeding to remove his horned helmet, buckling it to his belt and turning to face the two.

Riano's sharp intake of breath caused Okarmet to glance at his friend curiously who was now staring at every feature of the Ebon Knight in careful detail. The perfect face, the hair…

"Brother?" Riano asked, holding his breath and Okarmet's eyes widened a fraction before looking back at the Knight who paused a moment as Riano pulled back his own hood.

"Riano… a long time."

'_**The Invasion of Quel'thalas'**_

"**Run! Keep running!" **

**The High Elves sprinted through the forest, ten of them in total. They were all wearing the same linen clothing except one of them at the rear that was wearing pieces of mismatched leather armour with blood stains on them and ran with a claymore held in one hand. They all had bright blue eyes which glowed in the darkness of the forest and made them appear to be blue flashes of light to any on lookers. All of them present had the same pearly white hair, and the group was an even half and half split of men and women yet only three held any sort of weapons. The other two wielding weapons was one with a longbow and the other wielding a blue staff with the top shaped like a crescent moon. **

**The one wielding the longbow was male and ran at the head of the group with his pony tail drifting in the air behind him whilst the staff wielder was female and ran towards the centre, egging the others on. "Come on, we're near the coast!" **

**The forest immediately broke off onto either side of them and they nearly ran straight into the water, were it not for the unarmed seven being out of breath and collapsing into the sand. In the distance, they could see an interceptor in the distance with two rowboats heading towards them. "We made it!" the staff wielder wheezed out, clutching her chest before the sounds of sickening growls caused them all of turn to see a pack of ghouls quickly charging towards the prone members, coming from the forest. **

**She had no time to react, a list of appropriate smells springing to mind but all of them requiring a moment of concentration to conjure up the mana that she needed before there was a loud crunching sound of boot slamming into one of the ghouls and she saw that the bowman had sprung forward and round house kicked the ghoul in the face and brought up a notched and drawn arrow to meet the second. The third sprung forward but quickly found its head parted from its body and the fourth and fifth quickly followed suit. **

"**Inara! Are you hurt?" The claymore wielder looked over to her, care filling his eyes and Inara nodded hastily. **

"**I'm fine. Thank you, Solvanó, Riano. I would have been dead were it not for you both," Inara replied, staring between her two brothers and quietly praising the Sunwell that she had been blessed with two powerful brothers. **

"**When those rowboats get here, get our siblings in them and we'll get out of here alive," Riano stated, scanning the forest before notching an arrow in his longbow and glancing towards Solvanó and Inara who nodded in response. **

**It was a matter of moments before the rowboats hit land, the rowers of each helping Inara and Solvanó load up their barely conscious siblings into each. There was room enough for six people in each, including the rower and Inara's hopes began to rise at the thought that they'd all escape. However, her hopes were diminished as she fit the youngest sibling into the rowboat who had been clutching their stuffed animal this entire time. "We've got incoming! A pack of nerubians accompanied by ghouls!" Riano's voice rang out across the shore and Inara turned around to see them approaching quickly through the trees. **

"**Get in the boats, now!" Solvanó yelled, pushing the only full rowboat out into the water before turning and drawing out his claymore again and moving to stand by Riano who began to back towards the remaining rowboat and subconsciously push his body weight against it to push it slowly back into the water. **

**Solvanó backed away with him, the undead now breaking the tree line and hurrying towards them with killing intent clear from their very presence. A single glance between the brothers and a small smile was exchanged, "To save our siblings, we must make the ultimate sacrifice..." Riano began, firing an arrow at the group of oncoming undead and reaching back to grab another but felt a hand gripping the front of his attire. **

"… **I will make such a sacrifice." Riano felt as he was thrown back into the rowboat, and pulled in by his own siblings and restrained as he called out and trying to dive back to his brother's side, with every intention of fighting with him until the bitter end.**

"**Solvanó! You silly bastard! What are you doing?!" He yelled, tears already streaming from his eyes as the boat was caught on the current and was pushed away from the shore. Riano stared at the face of his brother, getting further and further away and saw a small smile on his face mixed with sadness and the last words of Solvanó Dawntreader were heard across the water, "Don't say goodbye. I hate goodbyes."… The eyes filled with sadness were soon replaced with that of a defiance that had filled the eyes of all the Queldorei who had first stood against the Scourge in the defence and the same defiance that had filled the eyes of the Ranger-general. **

**The rowboat bobbed up and down on the water but Riano watched as he saw his brother make his way back onto the shore, his weapon drawn and meeting the pack of Scourge head on and wielding the claymore like it was a one-handed blade. It was a few moments but he saw his brother standing amidst the corpses of the nerubians and the ghouls, his blade held in one hand and staring out at the rowboats and blood drenching his figure. All of them saw as the grotesque figure of the abomination broke through the tree line and ran towards Solvanó swinging a massive meat clever at him and… **

**Riano let out a cry of rage and sadness, fighting doubly at his own siblings to get back to the shore as he saw the figure of his brother slump to the floor, blood spurting from his body which had nearly been severed in half. He heard the screams of his sisters, and the sobbing before one the youngest sibling's voice ran out, piercing the sobbing and screaming with tender words.**

_**Anar'alah, Anar'alah Belore**_

_**Sin'dorei**_

_**Shindu Fallah na**_

_**Sin'dorei**_

**Slowly, the other siblings joined in on the lament and the song echoed across the waters to the shore.**

_**Anar'alah**_

_**Shindu Sin'dorei**_

_**Shindu fallah na**_

_**Sin'dorei**_

_**Anar'alah belore**_

_**Shindu Sin'dorei**_

_**Sindu fallah na**_

_**Sin'dorei**_

_**Anar'alah belore**_

_**Belore**_

**It was then, as the rowboats made it to the interceptor and the Dawntreaders gathered on its deck that they all huddled together and hugged… and lamented for their fallen brother. The brother who had made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his siblings. **

_**In loving memory of Solvanó Dawntreader,**_

_**Who gave his life so that his nine siblings may live,**_

_**Those who look upon this stone, bow your head in respect,**_

_**For he made the ultimate sacrifice that few can even imagine having to make,**_


	4. Chapter 4 - In remembrance of the fallen

The Lost Souls

Chapter 4 – In remembrance of the fallen

The snow had begun to pick up again as the blizzard attacked their clothing with high-speed snowflakes and the wind whipping at their clothing, struggling to tear it from their bodies and get at the weak, vulnerable flesh beneath. Solvanó, Riano and Okarmet were now sitting at the edge of the frozen river whilst Winbly and Silk still slept, and slept they did.

For the past few hours, Okarmet had been graced with the story of Solvanó's death in greater detail. Riano had, in the past, graced Okarmet with minor details about his family and how the different members had taken different walks of life including the oldest sister, Inara. However, alongside the continuous references to all of his other family members Riano had always left out talking about the oldest sibling, avoiding the topic like the plague. In situations where Okarmet had brought up the 'Mysterious eldest' Riano would just turn pale, cough and move away from Okarmet and not speak again for the rest of the day. You can imagine he took advantage of this on days where Riano talked too much.

But now, the three stared out to the other shore of the river which was barely visible through the snow before Okarmet spoke up, "So… what are we actually doing, Soul?"

There was silence for a reply and, glancing over at Solvanó, Okarmet noticed that the Death Knight's facial expression had changed from a resolute, emotionless mask to release a small smile before it quickly returned to the emotionless mask. "We're heading to Gilneas, to meet with a Guard-Commander and discuss possible friendship,"

"Hmph… 'Possible friendship'? Is this a diplomatic mission?" Riano asked, glancing at his brother's cold eyes. However the Death Knight shook his head before letting out a soft, icy chuckle.

"Friends, Riano. It is not diplomatic but with the end of the war or at least the dying down of hostilities this is the prime time to communicate with the other faction and make connections." Solvanó replied, turning to face his brother and raising a saronite plated finger to point at the sleeping Night elf and Dwarf. "Similar to working with a Dwarf, why not take advantage of the momentary peace to make connections?"

There was a slight rustling coming from the Alliance members behind them but none of them paid the sound any heed, "So, let me get this straight… your sister, Inara. Does she fit into this?" Okarmet asked, scratching his bald head beneath his hood.

"She will, but for now I've requested that a few of my old comrades meet us in Keel harbour. One Joraina Mooncare and Tadrien Wolfblade. Both experienced in combat and I'd trust both with my un-death… Joraina is an experienced healer and Paladin whilst Tadrien is a skilled spy and blade dancer," Solvanó glanced at Riano, before turning his gaze back towards the other bank. "I also requested that the Gilneans try and locate anyone with the last name 'Dawntreader' and bring them to Keel,"

"And they agreed to it?" Riano asked, still staring forwards but the change of expression on his face turned from one of calm, collectedness to worry and excitement.

"A favour for a favour… besides, their Commander is not known for his work ethics. He'll do anything to gain the advantage and, I've been told, that no one in his family dies until the age of Sixty-nine for some mysterious reason,"

"Do you know who their bringing?" Riano's voice became more frantic, thinking of the siblings he had lost track of over the years. Inara being the first and she had taken the youngest with her to ensure safety.

"_**We should all stay together and keep each other safe!"**_

"_**Riano… look what happened to Solvanó! Are we just going to sacrifice another one of us each time we get caught in a situation like that?!" **_

"_**He would entrust the fate of our family to us, Inara! No one else! We must stay to-,"**_

"_**I'll take whoever wants to go to the Alliance and to Stormwind… At least that way we'll ensure the safety of some of us,"**_

"_**Inara… please… I don't want to lose you as well…"**_

"_**You won't lose me, Riano… remember what Solvanó said? Don't say goodbye. He hated goodbyes."**_

The sudden rush of memory had taken Riano by surprise, and he had been convinced he had been lost in his memories for the past few moments because he phrased the question to his brother again, "Do you know who their bringing?"

There was silence as a reply and Riano waited, before turning to Solvanó and exclaiming loudly as he saw his brother with his head drooped forward and his throat slit and Riano watched as Silk withdrew her dagger from his neck, a look of finality filling her eyes as she turned to look at Riano and still holding the dagger. "You either kept him distracted… or you fully intended to help him. Either way, you're scum." She stated, lunging forward with her dagger and aiming for his chest.

His dagger? Out of reach under his arse. His bow? Not enough time to draw. Okarmet? Too far away to get there in time. Riano closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable but instead only heard the loud gasp of air from Silk and the sound of metal breaking.

Riano opened his eyes and saw a saronite plated gauntlet clutching the blade of the dagger and slowly crushing it in its grip and Riano looked further up to see Solvanó with his eyes open, wound still open and his other hand gripping Silk by the throat and a look on his face which showed a very powerful emotion… rage.

"You… dare… touch… him," Solvanó gasped out, the wound not bleeding but messing with the amount of air which was meant to get to his mouth to articulate words. He tightened his grip on the dagger, ripping it from her hand and throwing it over towards the frozen surface of the river and Riano collapsed backwards onto Okarmet with a look of shock on his face. The animals were growling but Silk and Solvanó paid them no heed, moving his now spare hand to grasp the hilt of his own blade but not drawing.

Silk was spluttering, a look of shock on her own face and her previously beautiful features were covered in sweat, "I... you… your throat…" She spluttered, flailing her arms wildly and clawing helplessly at the front of his armour.

Solvanó bared his teeth at her, snarling before removing his spare hand from the hilt and moving his gauntleted finger and running it slowly over the injury and Silk was given a front row seat of Death Knight healing magic. The green glow entered the injury, if you could call it that, spreading around the surrounding area and slowly pushing the skin over to cover the injury before the glow centred on the injury beneath and went to work. The smell of rotten flesh mixed with blueberries was blown by the wind into Silk's nostrils and she coughed and spluttered even more, tasting the vomit in her throat but forcing it down.

"As much as I detest you, Kaldorei, I am inclined to bring you along. Riano and Okarmet stated you were a good hunter and worthy of honour however…" Solvanó turned his eyes over to his shocked brother, the rage re-igniting in his eyes before turning back to Silk and beginning to relax his grip as he finished, "… If you ever harm my brother, Okarmet or Winbly again or try to – I will kill you and raise your corpse as an undead maid for the Dark Lady! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Silk nodded hastily in response, dropping to the floor and retreating backwards a few steps with the nightsaber moving to stand alongside her before she shuddered once more, "Why did you kill my brother, Death Knight?" she asked, shuddering and massaging her throat. The question had been gnawing at her for the past few hours as she lay awake and listening to the tale of Solvanó when he was alive. Riano had made him sound like a hero, someone willing to do anything for family with some wisdom thrown into the mix he was an unstoppable force if he put his mind to a situation.

"Because he attacked me first, Kaldorei. Your brother was reckless and I hope you will not follow in his footsteps, otherwise… I'll keep my promise."

'_**A long distance away…'**_

**The glorious capital of the Alliance was preparing to sleep for another night. The guardsmen who wandered the streets periodically stopped at small fires along their routes to keep warm whilst the average citizen was already snuggled underneath layers of warmth. However, the cathedral square had been widely accepted as the hub of recruiting guilds in the Alliance and you could find a job in cathedral square ranging from simple crafter to supreme knight of the Alliance and the banners of each of these groups fluttered in the cold night air as the recruiters themselves shuddered in their boots and wished to be in the inn with a good mug between their hands and a warm meal in their bellies. **

**Stormwind was separated in multiple districts: The market district, Old town, the Dwarvern district, Cathedral Square and the mage district. It was within the mage district, in a house opposite the Blue Recluse Inn that a group of High Elves were gathered around in a circle discussing recent events whilst keeping themselves nestled deep in a layer of blankets and robes. "We've recently received a report from Aerie's Peak, Lady Dawntreader," One of the High Elves spoke up, looking over to the figure that seemed to be the head of the group with her head of pearly white hair just visible over multiple layers of blankets. At the mention of her name, the figure raised her head to reveal a beautiful face but with eyes which revealed she had hardly rested for the past few days. **

"**Yes? What happened?" The lady asked, shivering within the layers and staring over at the speaker.**

"**Well, their report was a standard patrol report yet there was a name in the logs which might interest you," The speaker drew forth a folded letter from beneath her own cocoon and passed it around the circle before it reached the lady who promptly opened it and read it aloud. **

"**One traveller found on the road, a Death Knight. Black hair, perfect features and identified as a Queldorei. However he identified himself as…" The lady gasped, clutching her mouth with her free hand and staring at the name written roughly against the parchment, "… Solvanó Dusktreader," **

**There were a few murmurs exchanged around the group before a figure, who was sat next to the lady, promptly snatched the letter from her hands and continued to read with eagerness in their eyes. "His destination is Gilneas. Private Winbly Bimblebeard decided to accompany the traveller and was given a leave of absence. Following the departure of the two, a group of three hunters arrived. A Kaldorei by the name of Silk Leafshadow, an Orc who only answered with his first name 'Okarmet' and a Blood Elf by the name of…" The figure faltered in her reading, staring down at the name on the parchment as tears began to form in her eyes and a smile claimed her face before she finished reading, "… Riano Dawntreader!" **

**The figure put the letter down and raised her fist into the air, her covers falling back to reveal a petite figure but with remarkably beautiful features, keen eyes and the traditional Dawntreader pearly white hair. She turned to the lady, smiling widely. "He's alive! I told you! I told you! I called it!"**

**The lady managed a small smile, slowly prying the letter from the smaller woman's grip and reading the first name again. "Solvanó… could it be our Solvanó, Aurora?" **

**Aurora lowered her hand, leaning back and shrugging before clicking her fingers and looking at the lady, "Is there any more to the letter? The answer could lay there, sis."**

**The lady opened the letter again and treating it like it held the answer to a long forgotten question but after a few moments of quiet reading her face turned pale. Gulping, she began to read aloud, "The apparent leader of the group, Silk, is hunting Solvanó for murdering her brother in unjust circumstances. The Orc and Blood Elf agreed to assist her however none are aware of their prey's identity and none of the guard chose to enlighten them. I hope this letter finds you in good health, Lady Dawntreader and that what this letter contains was good news for you and your siblings."**

**However as she finished reading there was a loud banging open of the door to the room and a human wrapped in thick wool came sprinting in, skidding to a halt and kneeling quickly with a letter held out to the closest High elf, who happened to be Aurora. "Letter from Commander Meledor of the Gilneans, Ma'am! He requests you come to Keel Harbour with all haste and have a ship waiting for you in the docks should you choose to accept!" **

**Aurora raised her eyebrow at the messenger, opening the letter, "Shouldn't the letter tell us all of this? And I think you're meant to be talking to my sister," Aurora gestured to the lady, but finished opening the letter and read aloud, **

"**Dear Lady Inara Dawntreader, I hope this letter finds you in good health. Now, friendliness aside I have a request of you to come to Keel Harbour in Gilneas as soon as possible. As you may know from my reputation, I prefer to not tell people something unless they need to know it and, at this point, you need to know that I've had a request from a member of the Sin'dorei community to meet and begin to establish 'friendly' relations. Personally, I think it's a load of horse piss but the letter they sent me requested you by ****FULL ****name and that of your siblings. I was reserved to give you this message at first however previous dealings with the other side have always revealed them to be respectful enough people to not drag us into an ambush without good reason and with the ending of hostilities this could be a rally point for relationships in the Eastern Kingdoms. Yours in arms, Commander Tontas Meledor."**

**Aurora closed the letter, looking at her sister with wide eyes. "Please, please pleaasseee can we go?" **

**However, Inara's face was still recovering from its lack of colour and she stared wide eyed at her sister. "Are you insane? It could be a trap to make us into Sin'dorei or," but she was cut off as Aurora interrupted.**

"**Or it could be Riano trying to meet with us, or another sibling on the other side. Or… it could be Solvanó, or he could be an escort for the envoy thing! Come on, sis! This could be our chance to see them again!" Aurora widened her eyes at Inara, revealing a mixture of innocence and youth in them. **

**Inara sighed heavily, knowing the argument that would ensue should she try and refuse and even then Aurora would attempt to get to Gilneas anyway. **

"**Okay, we'll go."**

_**Riano… if it really is you. Please be there and please be safe… **_**Inara thought.**

_**Big brother… you were always so kind to me and even protected me throughout my entire life. Aurora thought.**_

'_**A long time ago, in Quel'thalas'**_

"**Hey! What're you gonna do 'Accident Aurora!'" The small group of High Elven children were circled around a smaller one. The smaller had long black hair and was standing next to a spilt cup of water whilst clutching a small, patchy teddy bear and she bowed her own head.**

"**I'm sorry," The girl muttered, shaking at the harsh treatment she was receiving and staring desperately at the floor as if hoping for the roots of the plants to reach up and safe her from this torture. **

"**Sorry, what was that? I can't hearrrr you, Accident Aurora!" A boy shouted, reaching forward and grabbing the teddy bear and trying to wrench it from her grip but failing as she clung to it with tears streaming from her eyes. **

"**I'm sorry!" Aurora squeaked, trying to yank back on the bear. There was a tearing sound and the teddy bear's head flew off and Aurora fell back on the ground onto her bottom, her tears in full flood now. **

"**That's not good enough, Accident Aurora! Looks like we'll do the same to you as we did to teddy!" The boy yelled, flinging the dismembered bear head at Aurora's crouched figure and the group closed in on Aurora.**

"**No… no… please!" Aurora nestled her head deeply into her knees, praying to anyone that they'd make this stop. **

**Aurora continued to sob for a few moments before she felt a small breath of wind tickle her ankles and she looked up to see a tall figure wearing a cloak and a massive claymore in hand and staring at the other children with eyes alight with something more than anger. The figure raised the claymore and pointed at the boy who had been yelling at Aurora, bringing it right up to his throat and the boy's lips quivered. "I'll make this clear. If I see you, or any of you, near my sister again. I'll do worse things to you than simply removing your head. Got it?" The voice was not raised and stayed low and constant yet biting with a sharp tone which left no room for doubt. This was not a threat, this was a promise. **

**The children who had sneering at Aurora now turned tail and fled into the woods, heading in the direction of the nearby estate with every intention of crying to their parents about what had just happened. But Aurora didn't care and instead she looked up to see her saviour staring down at her, his eyes filled with a gentle grace and his face appearing to have been crafted by a master craftsman. And he was smiling at her, -her-. **

**She was so pre-occupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice as the man kneeled down and rested a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright, Aurora?" he asked, still smiling at her.**

**Aurora nodded for a second, before shaking her head and holding up the severed head and body of her teddy bear but the man still smiled at her, "Let's go home and get Mr Sunny patched up,"**

"**But… who are you?" Aurora managed to squeak before she found herself cradled within his strong, welcoming arms. **

"**I am your oldest brother. I've spent time away from Quel'thalas to travel however I returned to see my little baby sister," the man paused before adding, still smiling at her, ".I'm Solvanó Dawntreader, and I promise to protect you, forever."**


	5. Chapter 5 - In memory of the fallen

The Lost Souls

Chapter 5 – In memory of the fallen

The ship swayed in the sea, the water gently tickling the sides of the ship and beckoning it onward. The wind was gently blowing against the sails of the large ship, painted blue in places and identifying it as a vessel of the Alliance. From its shape and size it appeared to be built for speed however with a few openings for cannons marking it as an interceptor. If one were to look behind the ship they'd see, in the distance, land and yet to their right you could clearly see the towering mountains of Khaz Modan.

The sounds of a person vomiting came from the side of the ship and the previously innocent and beautiful High elf was now bent over the side of the ship and unloading the contents of her stomach into the ocean and cursing her need to have a big lunch before they left. Aurora looked up and saw the mountains of Khaz Modan and smiled before seeing a water skin intrude on her field of vision and an elegant hand grasping it. "Here sister, get the taste out with this,"

Aurora nodded, taking the water skin with a hand and taking a large gulp of the water. Admitedly it tasted slightly leathery but it was better than vomit. She swirled it around in her mouth for a few moments before spitting it out over the side of the boat. "Thanks Ina,"

Aurora looked up at her sister who was wearing a simple travelling cloak yet with the symbol of the High elven people stitched onto the back and saw a smile on her face. "Happy to, Aurora. Vomiting over the idea of seeing Riano's ugly face again?" Inara jokingly said, leaning down to rest a hand on her sister's back.

Aurora chuckled and pretending to throw up again before shaking her head, "I was thinking about Solvanó in between my projectile vomiting,"

The expression of Inara's face faltered for a moment, an instant rush of pain and sorrow entering her entire complexion before she nodded slowly, "It could be him, and the only difference was the last name,"

"It's him. Who else do we know called Solvanó?"

"There are more people in this world, and the others, then we know Aurora," Inara replied, wisdom etched into her very voice.

"Yea, I know… but I'd like to see him again,"

"We all would."

Aurora nodded to her sister, turning back to look at the water and spotting Solvanó's reflection staring up at her with a kind smile planted on his face. She recoiled for a moment, blinking a few times and looking back to see her own reflection staring back at her and her face revealing a look of shock. "Just my imagination…"

'_**A long time ago'**_

**Aurora and Solvanó now walked through the golden woods on their way back to the Dawntreader residence. Well, Solvanó walked with Aurora still clinging to his chest and her teddy bear. As they came into a small clearing they spotted it.**

**A small building with a ground floor that had a ramp leading up to the second and many floating crystals surrounding it and a small bench and table outside overlooking the close by pond. As they approached the building, they heard a loud laugh coming from within the building before a silence and the curtain which covered the entrance parted as a group of five Elves came rushing out of it. In the lead was a woman with very long pearly white hair tied back in two pony tails that came rushing up to Solvanó, "Is she hurt? Is she alright? What happened to Mr Sunny?" **

"**She's fine, mother. Can you take care of her for a moment? I fear repercussions of my hasty actions are coming," Solvanó replied, holding Aurora out to their mother, who nodded at him and took Aurora carefully into her arms. Aurora readily gripped their mother close, cuddling into her and beginning to cry quietly. **

**The other High Elves smiled at Solvanó, shaking their heads slowly before moving over to him as the woman carrying Aurora turned and rushed into the house yelling as she went, "Inara! Get your tailoring kit out and ready!" **

"**What'd you do this time, nephew?" A man with very short white hair and a pointy beard asked, staring at Solvanó with a mixture of mirth and sarcasm in his voice. Solvanó just shrugged, offering a smile and a wink to his uncle. **

"**Something you would have done, uncle. But you all may want to get inside, I fear a magister or a higher noble may be stopping by soon to question me," Solvanó replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly but the four elves surrounding him all shook their heads and chuckled and a familiar face brought upon some wise words. **

"**We're a family, big brother. We stick together, but you're doing the talking," Riano said, smiling widely at his brother and offering him a thumb up. The other three nodded in agreement and they all moved to stand on either side of Solvanó, Riano taking a position next to his brother and they waited. **

"**So what exactly did you do?" Their uncle asked, drawing a dagger out from his belt and picking his finger nail with it.**

"**Threatened a group of children to stay away from Aurora or I'd torture them," Solvanó replied casually, keeping an eye trained on their uncle and grinning as the dagger slipped and landing point down on the ground right next to his foot. **

"**You're worse than me, lad." They all laughed but it was quickly silenced as they heard the sound of armour clinking and it was quickly approaching and they all tensed as a small circle of armed Hawkstrider riders entered the clearing with a nobleman and his son nestled on the same Hawkstrider at the centre of the group.**

**The group dismounted, the guards forming up around the nobleman and his son and approaching the line of Dawntreaders. As they came on level one of the guards stepped forwards, and speaking loudly, "Kneel lower caste, before you stands Falarian Sunsword and his son." **

**None of the Dawntreaders twitched or even lowered themselves, except the uncle. But he only kneeled for a moment, wrenching his dagger from the ground and twirling it in his fingers before speaking. **

"**Hey Falar, what's this about?" He said, innocently but with a mocking tone strongly present. **

"**You'll not speak to the Lord like that, lower caste!" One of the guards yelled, stepping forwards towards Uncle and stretching a hand out to grip the front of his linen shirt. What happened next was so fast that even Riano had trouble keeping up with it but the guard was now on his back with Uncle resting his dagger right above the man's visor and resting a second dagger above his cock-plate. **

**Uncle smiled kindly at the guard, standing up and looking at Falarian and his group before smiling at them as well. **

"**My business is not with you, Surian. It is with the man who threatened my son and, in extension, my family," Falarian stated, eyeing the men before catching the eyes of Solvanó who met his gaze with a grin planted on his face, "Was it you, peasant?" Solvanó stepped forwards, still smiling at Falarian and offering a look to his son which caused the son to turn pale and shrink back behind his father. "That's a yes. Seize him." **

**The other guardsmen faltered in their step, but drew their weapons and advanced. The other Dawntreaders, including Uncle, stood back and watched as Solvanó smoothly drew out his claymore and stared at each of the guards in turn before bringing his claymore around in one handed and pointed it at the closest guard. "I do believe this should be interesting." Solvanó stated, and the guards pressed forwards with their shields rose defensively and only seeing Solvanó over the tops of their shields. It was a swift movement but Solvanó brought his sword around in a circle and lowered himself closer to the ground causing the sword to make impact with the legs of the closest guards.**

**Three of them collapsed backwards, dropping their blades and clutching the open wounds on their legs. Admittedly the wound was not deep but it was enough to make it painful to even attempt to fight standing up. The remaining guard stared at his fallen comrades and the blood gushing from their injuries and dropped his own blade and shield as Solvanó brought his claymore around to point at the guard, "Honestly, I never liked working with this noble." **

**Solvanó chuckled, turning to stare at Falarian who was staring at the scene with a calm and composed face. "You're only making this worse for yourself, Dawntreader. Come quietly or…" Falarian faltered in his threat, remembering a few key facts that his father and his father before him. The Dawntreader family had, for generations, been a family of highly liked people for a number of reasons. Firstly, they were friendly people – almost painfully so. Secondly, they always stood up for one another and their friends which led to the belief that if you were to become friends with one your safety was assured and finally… the family was full of masters at their respective crafts. From fishing to spell breaking, from cooking to wielding arcane magic, from first aid to archery. If a Dawntreader were to be arrested there would be an outcry from the community of southern Quel'thalas for their release – it had happened before. Surian had once been apprehended before on charges of treason and desertion and was due to be executed however the truth behind it was that Surian had not deserted or committed treason and had knocked out his commanding officer to stop them from making a stupid decision and getting his entire platoon slaughtered. He was pardoned by the magisters an hour before his execution and was instead rewarded with a commendation for ingenuity.**

**The same would happen here if only on a larger scale, they may not be Nobles but the lower class people of Southern Quel'thalas respected the name of 'Dawntreader'. Southern Quel'thalas was considered the region where the poorer Elves lived since they were in front of the magical rune stones which protected Eversong Woods. **

**Falarian faltered and then became silent, eyeing up the man who had just disabled four of his guards like they were Gnoll pups. He sighed, defeated, "What happened with my son?"**

**Solvanó's mock smile was replaced by a serious face, "He and a few of his friends were bullying my sister. Should it ever happen again, Sir Sunsword, make no mistake. I will deal with it personally," **

**The other Dawntreaders nodded, whilst Surian was balancing his dagger on the tip of his finger seemingly bored already. **

"**Fine." And without another word, Falarian turned and retreated back to his Hawkstrider and hurrying his son with him and retreating from the clearing quickly and leaving his wounded men there to nurse their injuries. The effect was immediate and surprising for the guardsmen.**

**The Dawntreaders rushed forwards to the guards, helping them to their feet and carrying them into the building. The one who uncle had taken down beforehand assisted them, looking irritated by the fact their 'Lord' had just left them to the mercy of the Dawntreaders. **

**The lower building soon became packed as the guards were laid down on cushions and their injuries were tended to with great care by three of Solvanó's siblings and directed by his grandmother. "Watch that energy flow, Anara! Kara, you're meant to be exposing the injury to heal not stripping the man naked! Tara, you're just as bad!" The girls seemed to be all of close ages, the only difference in appearance being the difference of hair styles between Anara and the other two. Anara had a long pony tail down her back whilst Kara and Tara both had their hair freely flowing over their bodies. **

**Uncle patted the guard he had disabled earlier on the shoulder, smiling at him, "What's your name?" **

**The man started, removing his helmet to reveal short red hair and a full beard on his face, "Just call me... uh… Lawer. Sergeant Lawer of the Sunsword House Guard," **

"**Well, Lawer, you can stay with your men whilst they get patched up. You'll all stay for dinner before you head out, alright?" Surian said, still smiling at the man who looked shocked at the prospect of having dinner with the family of the man who just kicked his arse. In less than five seconds flat. **

"**We couldn't impose like that, Sir. We just tried to… well… arrest you nephew," Lawer awkwardly said, glancing over at Solvanó who just waved it off and replied. **

"**Hey don't think anything of it, but word of advice. Find a better job, I heard house Bloodoath has some openings and their house leader is at least respectable. Or house Eversun?" However Surian shook his head, **

"**Don't you remember that bitch Saynari who tried to have you arrested on charges of breaching her personal space? And you were just standing in the same INN as her." **

**Solvanó and Surian shared a small chuckle but the sound of Solvanó's name being called brought them out from their laughter, "Solvanó! Aurora wants to see you upstairs!" came the voice of his mother from the curtains that parted the ground floor from the ramp. **

**Solvanó nodded over in her direction, handing his backpack to Surian before slapping Surian on the back before weaving his way through the bodies on the floor and pushing the curtains a side. The ramp was an easy incline and he walked up it to the first floor of the house and parted the curtain to walk in.**

**The room had single beds all around the outside of it whilst at the centre was a single large round table which would serve for the family to eat at. Each of the beds had a bedside table which revealed something about the occupant, for example Inara's bedside table had a small sewing kit on it full of different coloured threads whilst Riano's had a map of Quel'thalas spread out on the surface of it. Solvanó looked around the room and saw Aurora sitting on her single bed, easily too large for her but all of the beds were the same length. She'd grow into it but hopefully not anytime soon. She was cuddling her now patched up teddy bear but looked up as she heard Solvanó approaching her and offered him a smile and extended her arms out for a hug which he gladly granted her. **

"**So you're… biggest brother?" Aurora asked tentatively, holding Solvanó in a tight grip as if afraid that he'd disappear should she let go. **

"**Yes I am, and I'm also your guardian," Solvanó replied, stroking Aurora's back slowly and smiling. **

"**My guardian… I've always wanted a guardian…" Aurora blinked a few times before becoming limp and falling asleep in Solvanó's arms. **

"**I'll always protect you, Aurora."**


	6. Chapter 6 - Requiem

The Lost Souls

Chapter 6 – Requiem

The group had been travelling for a while through the ever strengthening blizzard with only a few mutters exchanged between them. They had crossed the river with no difficulties and had been on the road to Silverpine within the same hour. The blizzard continued to pound against their cloaks and they only paused as they saw the purple banner and white face staring at the group.

"We have reached the passage that leads to Silverpine." Riano stated as they passed the banner of the Banshee Queen. Silk eyed the banner up and down for a few moments; Winbly simply glanced in its direction whilst Okarmet just grunted. The group continued further down the road but before long they were already within sight of the Forsaken outpost that monitored traffic in and out of Silverpine and sure enough an empty voice called out to them.

"Hold, travellers," One of the Forsaken seemed to materialize out from the side of the road and approached them, flanked by two others. They all wore the same flimsy white shirt whilst clad in chainmail greaves and all with a buckler on their left arm and a blade held in their right hand. Purple hoods were drawn over their heads to shelter against the blizzard but… it was their entire posture which unsettled the Alliance members of the group. Their skin was pale and in places it had rotted away to reveal bone with the odd maggot sometimes making an appearance before digging back into the massive mobile feast.

The middle Forsaken eyed the Dwarf and Night Elf suspiciously a moment before turning his eyes to look at the saronite plated Solvanó and offering the latter a nod. "Greetings… your business on these roads?"

"Travelling." Solvanó replied, staring at the Forsaken through his visor with passive eyes.

"Anything to declare…?" The Forsaken added a short pause, glancing at the Dwarf and Night Elf before looking back at Solvanó.

"Four breathers, mercenary group,"

The Forsaken eyed the Death Knight up and down a few moments before shrugging, and gesturing with his blade for them to continue their way down the road. "Dark Lady watches over you."

The group passed the Forsaken by however not daring to make eye contact. Even the stubborn Kaldorei avoided their gaze before speaking up as they made a decent way down the road. "Why did you not tell them the entire truth, Acherus Knight?"

There was silence for a few moments except for the howling of the wind before Solvanó replied, his ghastly voice prominent on the wind. "Because they would have not let us pass without a hassle, or reported to the Forsaken forward command that there was a group of travellers causing trouble. I'd rather avoid being hunted by Dark Rangers, wouldn't you?" His voice, though ghastly and plain was full of sarcasm.

But Silk had no time to respond as a large bear barrelled onto the road in front of them, staring them down with odd markings in its fur and long teeth obvious, even from this distance. Solvanó slowly began to draw out his rune blade but Winbly stepped forward and waved at the bear. "Oi there lad, we ain't causing no trouble. Put your bollocks back to their regular size and let's talk, aye?"

Riano and Okarmet stared at the Dwarf with wide eyes before glancing back at the bear… however the bear had disappeared and had instead been replaced by a large, hulking Worgen. His fur was a pitch black whilst his fangs were large, almost as large as the bear's. The Worgen snarled at Solvanó before turning to look at Winbly and beckoning to him and the group, "Come on, I'll get ya to our camp and we can 'chat'," he said gruffly, before turning tail and running headlong off the road. The group exchanged looks before following after him at a fast pace. Even standing on its hind legs the Worgen had to pause to allow the group to keep up with him or at least let the living keep up. The Death Knight was resolutely keeping pace with the Worgen and even paused with him to wait for the others.

They ran for a while, the hunters accustomed to it but Winbly was already panting and sweating heavily even in the bitter blizzard that still chased their flanks. Eventually they saw something looming in the distance… and they realised that their quickened pace off the beaten path had resulted them reaching the great wall of Gilneas. It stood large, proud and tall… until you reached the massive breach in the centre which had been caused by the crashing of a Horde gunship. Instead of running headlong into the wall they turned south and made their way along it until they reached they almost ran headlong into a large camp with a roaring fire in the centre and around fifteen men and women wearing imperial plate armour scattered around it and they all turned to stare at the group that had just ran headlong into their midst… and drew their weapons to quickly circle them.

Solvanó came to a halt as he noticed the Worgen slow down, entering the ranks of the humans and was soon followed by Riano, Silk and Okarmet with Winbly coming in last whilst panting heavily. The humans circled the group and within moments the group was facing a shield wall on all sides, and the humans were facing an angry Kaldorei. "What is the meaning of this?!" Silk yelled, staring at the Worgen.

The Worgen ignored her and instead turned to look at a human with black hair stretching down to his shoulders and a thick black beard, "Found this lot on the road, Lieutenant,"

The Lieutenant nodded at the Worgen before turning to look at the mismatched group of adventures. Five figures four of them wearing cloaks whilst the fifth wore dark blue armour with glowing gemstones scattered around it. Two of the cloaked travellers stood at the same height and whilst one had a large bosom the other had a chest flatter then the surface of a lake. The third seemed hunched over with green skin under his hood and large teeth… an Orc. And the fourth figure was a Dwarf, obviously from the height and the large, bushy beard visible. The lieutenant glanced back at the armoured figure and stared into cold, emotionless eyes which stared back at him.

"Either we've found a circus or we've got a band of deserters." The lieutenant stated, dismissing Silk's earlier exclamation before turning his gaze away from those cold eyes… the eyes which appeared to be piercing his very soul and making his bones feel like cold steel. The lieutenant now turned his eyes to the green pair of glowing eyes staring at him before turning to look at Silk's silver eyes. "So which one is you lot? Speak quickly, ain't got lots of time on my hands. Expecting a diplomatic group,"

Silk's expression turned from one of anger and hate to one of amusement and smugness, "We're the third option," She said, holding up one of her hands and pretending to appear not worried about the whole matter. The lieutenant snorted loudly, before breaking out in a fit of laughter. After a few minutes of gathering himself he stared at the group, at the Dwarf, at the Night Elf, at the Sin'dorei… the Orc and the… Oh shit.

"Nah, ya couldn't be. The commander made it clear to us that the diplomats would be coming from the east and would know the secret that only those close to the commander know," The lieutenant looked reassured by his own words… that is until Solvanó's ghostly voice pierced the silence.

"Commander Tontas Meledor will not die until the age of sixty nine. All members of the Meledor family die at the age of sixty nine and are graced with a certain charisma with women or men, depending on their sexual orientation." Now, to hear a Death Knight speak of something so disgusting would have been amusing had it not been from the ghostly voice and the chill that was sent down everyone's spines.

The lieuntenat paused, his mouth hanging open and a shocked expression taking control of his face. "Oh shit. Lower yer weapons lads and get ready to move out!"

'**Keel Harbour'**

**The ship had arrived at Keel a few hours ago and its occupants had disembarked at a rapid rate. They carried little with them but the supplies that they would need for the trip back were loaded onto the ship at a rapid pace by a few Worgen. The Quel'dorei had been escorted to an empty house just to the right as you stepped off the pier. It was small, nothing flashy and had one bed. They could fit their entire group in here however it'd be a tight fit with equipment included. **

**Inara was flattening out her bedroll when she heard the sound of the door creak open and she turned to see a rather good looking human male enter with black hair streaked with grey and a short beard. The man's armour was coloured tan and a sword hung loosely at his side but he offered Inara a friendly grin contrary to his warlike appearance. "Nice to meet you, Lady Dawntreader. I'm Tontas Meledor of Gilneas and I have the gracious honour of welcoming you to Keel," **

**Inara smiled at the man, standing up and offering he a hand and he shook it firmly and, surprisingly, she returned his firm grip, "Please, call me Inara. It is indeed an honour to meet you, Commander. Your reputation precedes you in this situation," She continued to smile sweetly at him as he relinquished the grip and scratched the back of his head before she added, "Your reputation of such a well performing company of the Alliance, Commander. Not of your womanizer traits that are the bane of Stormwind's nobility," **

**Tontas chuckled and shook his head before his face immediately became serious, "Right, so here's the full situation. About two weeks ago I received a letter from a mysterious figure who only signed off as 'Requiem' stating that he wished to engage in possible friendly talks with the Alliance to prepare for the coming storm. This 'Requiem' wanted to specifically talk with me and all the High Elves with the name 'Dawntreader' for unknown reasons but insisted it would ensure matters go smoothly. Requiem is expected to arrive within the next few days and I've assigned Lieutenant Edmund Black to watch the wall and Sergeant McDuncan to keep an eye on Gilneas City. Each are capable soldiers and are well worth their weight in whiskey," Inara nodded to Tontas, mulling over the information she had been told before Tontas added, "And watch out for Lizzie Thornby. She's meant to be an Archmage from Dalaran but if she's an Archmage then I'm the queen of Stormwind. She threatened one of my only Kaldorei, Sol, the other day with burning his balls and then feeding them to a hungry Worgen." **

**Inara stared at Tontas for a few moments before nodding again, "I'll be sure to avoid her at all costs however if she truly is an imposter then it might be best if I show her up in a duel," **

"**Wait until this whole diplomatic business is over before you go breast burning, Inara," Tontas warned and Inara was about to make a comment about his language before the door banged open and a tall Kaldorei wearing green from head to foot was revealed.**

"**Tontas! The forward command post has reported the diplomatic group has arrived and Ed and co are packing up! They'll be here before the day is up without complications!" **

_**A pair of blue orbs could be seen passing over the wall of Gilneas, the rest of the creature's body obscured by the blizzard but one thing was for sure… it was big.**_

_**Requiem – A gathering for a deceased person. **_

_**Author's notes – Have a great Winter's Veil everyone! I hope you are enjoying the Lost Souls!**_


	7. PSA

The Lost Souls

Author's Notice!

Hello everyone, I see you have made it this far without becoming bored or maybe you're hoping to become un-bored? Well you'll have to wait a bit! After reading a forum thread on the Argent Dawn Forums I need to find a way to present Gilneas without being lorebreaking!

Hope you all have a great new year and review if you want to!

Lots of love, Aristotle/Grey Warden


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